Our Team

Civic Edge Consulting is an employee-owned, women-led business based in San Francisco. Our team is comprised of individuals with strong academic and practical credentials who have worked in government, run largescale campaigns, served as aides to elected officials, managed large events, worked in respected nonprofit organizations, written for local media outlets, and have considerable experience in the communications and public relations fields.

Lisbet Sunshine

President

Lisbet Sunshine has over twenty years of political, business and management experience in the Bay Area. Before Civic Edge Consulting, Lisbet served as chief advocate for San Francisco State University, where she led local, state and federal civic engagement and government affairs for the university. Her passion for creating opportunities for student engagement in politics and policymaking resulted in the creation of the Willie Brown Leadership Center at SF State and a nationally recognized voter registration and education effort.

A proven strategist and coalition builder, Lisbet started her career at the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, served under three mayors, and worked for several city departments, including the Department of Parking and Traffic (now the SFMTA) and San Francisco International Airport.

Lisbet received her B.A. from Yale University. A dedicated marathon runner, she is active in environmental and health-based non-profits in Marin County and serves on the Larkspur Recreation and Parks Commission.

Amber Shipley

Partner

After a decade of work on Capitol Hill and with nonprofit organizations across the country, Amber Shipley moved to San Francisco to live the dream. She brings a keen understanding of how to advance our clients’ public policy and communications goals, and excels at designing and implementing strategic initiatives across a diverse array of issue areas. Amber is a big-picture thinker with a wicked attention to detail and passion for providing the best possible service to our civic sector clients. In addition to her love for politics, Amber is an avid gardener and loves brewing (and drinking!) beer. On sunny days, you’ll find her running on trails in the Presidio or riding her scooter around San Francisco.

Alia Al-Sharif

Partner

Alia Al-Sharif is a communications and creative messaging whiz who leads complex, multi-stakeholder campaigns and initiatives throughout the Bay Area. She consistently thinks outside of the box and utilizes field best practices – while applying a flair all her own – to excel at meeting her clients’ most challenging endeavors. Alia has worked on numerous political campaigns and brings ten years of coalition building and event management experience to the firm. She studied Public Affairs and Practical Politics as a graduate student at the University of San Francisco where she had the privilege of being taught by some of the country’s most well respected politicos. In her spare time, Alia enjoys blazing the Bay Area’s trails by bike, and is actively involved in a handful of local organizations that promote access, equity and thriving communities for all.

Peter Lauterborn

Director

Peter Lauterborn leads innovative multimedia outreach campaigns for multiple county-wide agencies. Born in the San Francisco and with a passion for the entire region, Peter previously served as a Legislative Aide with the San Francisco Board of Supervisors focusing on environmental policy, transportation, bicycle and pedestrian safety, health, and education. He also directed the educational YouthVote Civic Engagement program through the Department of Children, Youth, and their Families. Peter majored in History at San Francisco State University and spends his free time playing music, rock climbing, and cooking.

Paisley Strellis

Senior Project Manager

Paisley Strellis has more than a decade of communications and outreach experience, working in both the public and private sector. She is an East Bay native with deep roots in and strong affections for the region, who honed her writing skills covering city politics for a community newspaper. She is an expert at making complex municipal and regional issues accessible to community members and translating the language of planners into that of laypeople. Paisley was also an early employee at market research firm Kelton Global, and has considerable experience in both qualitative and quantitative data research and analysis as well as field research. Event production is another interest Paisley has pursued and she has assisted in the production of conferences and public events. Paisley holds two BAs from U.C. Berkeley, one in Psychology and one in English Literature.

Annie Dulka

Senior Project Manager

A seventh-generation Bay Area native, Annie comes to Civic Edge Consulting with strong roots in and a deep passion for Bay Area politics. Her interest in civic engagement took flight during her tenure at the YMCA, where she worked on grassroots efforts to strengthen the local community. Relational by nature, Annie next put her skills to use in Senator Barbara Boxer’s Constituent Services Office and on U.S. Representative Eric Swalwell’s 2012 campaign for Congress. Annie earned her B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, with a major in Political Science and a focus on the intersection of race and politics. Annie is an NPR enthusiast, a fierce card game competitor, and a lover of bagel shops and bookstores.

Kate Fratar

Account Manager

With a background rooted in marketing communications as a writer and editor with the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Kate returned to her native Bay Area and continued to refine her strategic messaging skills as marketing communications manager for Oakland Ballet Company. She added to her research and first-hand knowledge of the role of media in as a local newspaper reporter and investigative journalist. Kate graduated from the University of Chicago with a B.A. in history and continues to pursue a passion for food, wine and travel as a certified sommelier.

Alison Channon

Account Manager

Alison Channon is a communications strategist with deep experience working with non-profits and advocacy organizations. She combines the skills of a digital strategist, PR professional, writer and advocate to build communications plans that make an impact for her clients. Her experience ranges from international maternal health campaigns to local initiatives in the Bayview Hunters Point neighborhood of San Francisco. Originally from Chicago, Alison comes to San Francisco after five years working in advocacy in Washington, DC. Alison holds a degree in history and women and gender studies from Brandeis University.